Smoke Clears
by wannabe-dj
Summary: What happens when Chloe and Beca meet up at a friends party after being years apart? Bechloe. Short two-shot fic.
1. Reunited

**Smoke Clears**

" _You and I, against the world"_

 _That's what you told me_

You remember feeling rather excited for this night.

Your long-time friend, Aubrey, sent you the invitation to a 'Back 2 School' party, and you felt yourself become giddy inside.

Even at your 27-year-old self, you still felt butterflies thinking about _her_.

Beca Mitchell.

Your first thought was, 'that can't be her.'

You thought your eyes were deceiving you as they landed on her figure, leaning against the bar with a beer in hand.

She looked... _drained_.

Her eyes then fell on you and you felt yourself gasp.

Her once, full of life stormy blues were dull, and red-rimmed with dark undertones. And as she reached up to take a swig from her drink, you watched as her hand shook.

You felt yourself taking slow steps towards her.

You remembered hearing about all the news surrounding, _"DJ Mitchell,"_ and you chose to ignore it. Knowing _(hoping)_ that none of it was true.

You knew Beca.

 _Or so you thought._

The Beca you knew, didn't drink excessively while partying every night.

The Beca you knew didn't smoke pot on the regular and god knows what else.

The Beca you knew, back in your late teens, didn't smoke _period_.

Your eyes caught with hers, and you felt tears brimming at the edge of your own and before you knew it, you had wrapped your arms around her, pulling her in tight.

You think a breathy, "Beca," came from you, but you can't be sure. You just remember pulling back to see that lopsided grin on her face that you always loved.

The Beca you knew, wasn't as pale as a ghost.

The Beca you knew, was full of life and ready to fight.

The Beca you once knew wasn't standing in front of you.

DJ Mitchell was the person facing you. Not _Beca_.

"What happened to you?" You found yourself asking later that night as you and the DJ sensation were on the back-patio steps of the building. She had a cigarette in her hand.

"What sort of question is that?" Beca had fired back.

"Becs." You threw out the old nickname, catching her attention. When she faced you, you watched as her features changed before landing on one of deep remorse.

"Chlo..." She paused, staring down at the cigarette. "I don't know." She answered, honestly. Throwing the cigarette away, she slumped back onto the steps. "I think I've lost myself." She admitted, and you felt your heart aching for her. And reaching out, you rubbed soothing circles onto her back.

Then suddenly you felt yourself stiffen as she said in a quiet tone.

" _You left."_

You couldn't bring yourself to look her in the eye.

"Y-you left out of nowhere- and I started making a name for myself but you left and I..."

"I'm sorry," You remember cutting her off before she rambled on. "I'm so sorry, Becs." You felt tears forming in your eyes and you tried to push them aside. "I didn't mean to leave but- but..."

"But what?" Beca interrupted, staring you down. "Why did you leave me Chloe?" She then asked, sounding tired.

Had this been any other person, you would have made up a lie.

But this was _Beca_.

So, you decided to tell her the truth.

"Chris... Chris died." You said to her. As much as it hurt to say it, you had to. Beca deserved to know why you left.

As you glanced at her, you found her staring back with a blank expression.

"You never heard?" You asked. Beca shook her head. "N-no..." She replied. She glanced down, "Chloe, I didn't know. No one... No one told me."

"Well he did. Overseas. Mom called me and asked if I could fly back home for the funeral. And once I was home, I couldn't bring myself to come back, so I stayed." You explained.

It was really tough on your family. Chris had been 24 when he'd been shot fighting overseas in Afghanistan. The army he served had sent his body back over to your home state for the funeral.

You couldn't bring yourself to tell Beca.

You're not sure why.

Maybe it was because she was living the high life as an upcoming DJ superstar and you didn't want to be a downer.

But who knows...?

You watched Beca lean her head onto her hands.

"I thought you hated me." She said after a few moments. "I thought I did something wrong to upset you and that's why you left." She admitted. "And then I was making a name for myself and earning so much money that I started to just drink to forget about you."

It was a stab to the heart, hearing her say those words. You never wanted her to feel that way. You never hated her. And you never would.

You wonder if you had just told her why you left, would she have ended up like this?

"Oh my god..." She sighed, her hands falling to rest on her lap. "Oh my **god**." She repeated sounding slightly panicked, she reached out for the bottle beside her- her hands shaking in the process.

But before she could take hold of it, you grasped her hand in yours.

Beca's eyes shot up to you, tired and drained looking.

"Chloe..." Her eyes began to well up. "I don't like the way I'm living." She said, her eyes falling to your joined hands. "I'm scared." Her lips were trembling.

Seeing her like that caused your own tears to flow. Holding onto her hand tightly, you squeezed. "Becs, we're gonna get you through this, okay?"

"We?"

"Yes," You nodded. " _We_. I'm not going anywhere again." You said, a soft smile on your face.

Beca nodded.

"You and I?"

Pulling her into a hug, you pressed a kiss into the crook of her neck.

"Against the world..."

 _And I know you meant it_

 _Holding my hand so tight_


	2. A New Beginning

**Smoke Clears (Part 2)**

 _You'll never be alone_

 _Even when your world explodes_

6 months.

That's how long it had been since you saw _her_ at Aubrey's party.

Chloe Beale.

The stunning redheaded ray of sunshine- the girl who was once your best friend no longer than 5 years ago.

Those days were the day's you'd cherish forever.

You thought you'd never see her again.

You thought she hated you.

 _She didn't._

And now, 6 months after the _'Back 2 School'_ party, she was once again a major factor in your life just like all those years ago.

She helped you get better.

You knew you still had much more to go until you became the 'old you,' but you weren't going to give up. Chloe was by your side and that's all you really needed.

Her support was what helped you so far in your recovery process, she was there while you were in rehab.

She suggested that that was the best place for you to go and deep down, you knew it was too.

You see... you're not ashamed to admit to yourself that you once had a drug and alcohol problem. After Chloe had left, you gained so much money that you didn't know what to do with it. Then fast forward and suddenly you've got millions of fans, your fame game skyrocketing and multiple awards to your name.

You didn't know how to deal with it all.

Worst was, your best friend wasn't there beside you.

The first thing was alcohol. It was the only thing you could think of at the time.

And it worked.

It started off slowly. You'd drink yourself to sleep every night to help ease the pain.

Then nights turned into morning _and_ nights and then before you even realized, you were drinking just for the sake of it.

Next was the drugs.

You'd rather not speak much about that though.

When you told Chloe all of this, you felt terrible as she broke down into tears. All you could do was sit there, with the feeling of regret in your gut.

She pulled you into a hug and held you tight.

That was 4 months ago.

Chloe had stayed true to her word and never left your side. She had moved into your apartment after you asked if she wanted to. She even went as far to cleaning up the place and redesigning a few of the rooms.

It was small, but as she did that, you felt like maybe things were going to be okay. You still do.

6 months ago, you felt lost. You were lonely, miserable, depressed and at times even suicidal. _(though you hated to admit it)_

Your career couldn't have been better, but you... you were at your worst.

Until you found Chloe again.

You're so thankful she showed up, and just in the nick of time as you don't know what could have happened had she not been at that party.

Some your friends had noticed a major difference in you. Jesse had mentioned how happy you'd been looking recently. Aubrey had congratulated you on quitting smoking.

And Chloe... Chloe had just smiled at you every day.

She was your light at the end of the tunnel and you couldn't have been more grateful for her. You still don't know what you did to deserve such a caring friend. You don't think you ever will.

But 6 months later, the girl was to your left, tucked into your side as the two of you watched multiple reruns of Friends. She had a smile on her face, and so did you.

You pulled her in close, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead.

"I love you." You heard yourself whisper.

Chloe had frozen and you felt slightly panicked.

But that washed away as she tilted her head up towards you, a grin peeking at the side of her mouth.

"I love you too." She had responded before leaning up to capture your lips in hers.

And in that moment, you really, _truly_ knew that everything was going to be okay. You had your best friend back; your _soulmate_ and you couldn't have been more at peace.

For the first time in years, you were actually enjoying life once again.

And it was all thanks to Chloe Beale.

' _Cause after all the smoke clears_

 _...I will be right here_


End file.
